MPs returned to Ottawa on Monday after a week-long break, but the deadlock in the Commons showed no signs of resolving, with anger flaring again and renewed calls for Liberal ministers to resign or be fired.
The House of Commons has been in a filibuster for nearly two months as the Conservative Party demands that the government hand over documents to the RCMP over allegations of improper spending on the Green Technology Fund. That continued on Monday, but during a period of doubt, conservative attention shifted to Employment Minister Randy Boissonneau. Three days ago, Employment Minister Boissonneau apologized for not being more clear about indigenous identity.
He previously described himself as an “adoptive Cree without status” and said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.”
He said he would confirm his great-grandmother’s status, but his mother and brother are Métis citizens of Alberta.
“I’m sorry if I was referring to myself in that particular way. I apologize for the inaccuracy of that,” Boissonneau said at an Edmonton event on Nov. 15.
The National Post also reported last week that Boissonneau’s co-owned company unsuccessfully bid on two federal contracts in 2020 while identifying itself as indigenous and Aboriginal-managed.
In the House of Commons on Monday, seven different Conservative MPs posed more than a dozen questions to Mr. Boissonneau on the issue, and Mr. Boissonneau issued a short textual response denying the allegations.
“He said he was Indigenous so he could get grants and contracts specifically for Indigenous people. Now he admits he is not Indigenous at all,” Conservative Party Leader Pierre said. Poièvre said on Monday.
“He said he was Indigenous and trying to steal from Indigenous communities in order to benefit from government contracts. When will the Prime Minister fire this impostor who made false claims of stealing from Indigenous people? ” Alberta Conservative MP Garnet Genus added in one of several questions to grill Speaker Greg Fergus about his choice of words.
In a response to Genui, Government House Leader Karina Gould said: “My colleagues have addressed this issue and said the allegations are false.”
“We addressed the fact that the company was not listed as an Indigenous company on the procurement site and did not actually receive funding from the Government of Canada.”
Outside the House of Commons before question period, other Liberal MPs also came to Boissonneau’s defense. Among them was Jaime Batiste, the party’s only indigenous lawmaker.
“For me, there was no need to apologize at all, because I always saw him as an ally of Indigenous peoples, not Indigenous peoples,” Batiste said, adding that Boissonneau personally called him to discuss the situation. He added that he had called him.
“But for other people who he may have mistakenly told that he was Indigenous, so maybe (an apology) could be of value to them.”
Speaking to reporters outside West Block, Conservative MP Michael Barrett called on Boissonneau to resign.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not seem to have the moral standing to discipline his cabinet members or members of his caucus,” Barrett said.
“Randy Boissonneau should resign, and if Justin Trudeau doesn’t fire him, Canadians will be judging this government when the carbon tax election comes.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024.
